Monthly Archives: June 2015

Last Letters Home

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Civil War –

Lindsey Buckner

The letter was written by a Kentucky man named Lindsey Buckner, who was selected to be shot in retaliation for the death of a Union soldier killed by Confederate guerrillas in his home state. “My dear sister,” Buckner wrote in late October 1864, “I am under sentence of death and for what, I do not know. … It is a hard thing to be chained and shot in this way; and if it was not for the hope I have of meeting you all in Heaven, I would be miserable indeed.

John Ross Wallar

John Ross Wallar, 15 year old drummer boy, while injured wrote: “Dear Sister father Mother and friends I received your letter But I don’t think I Ever shall see another that you write this…

GE’s industrial shift also brings benefits like the GE Store. “It means that every business in GE can share and access the same technology, markets, structure and intellect,” Immelt writes. “The value of the GE Store is captured by faster growth and higher margins; it makes the totality of GE more competitive than the parts.”

The GE Store allows the company to take FAA-certified alternators from its jet engines and use them to build better oil pumps. It can also use medical imaging technology to inspect subsea pipelines. “No other company has the ability to transfer intellect and technology as GE can through the Store,” Immelt writes.

The plan to run Tri-Rail passenger trains directly to All Aboard Florida’s Miami Central Station moved a step closer when the county granted preliminary approval for part of its funding on Wednesday.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority is looking for $68.9 million in funding to build a platform for Tri-Rail – the passenger train that runs just west of Interstate 95 from the Miami Airport to West Palm Beach – at All Aboard Florida’s downtown Miami station. Florida East Coast Railway’s All Aboard Florida would run along the FEC tracks to Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.

Tri-Rail would own and operate two platforms at the station while AAF would have three. If everything goes as scheduled, Tri-Rail could start running there in 2017.

“The critical component here is it will tie the rest of the region literally into downtown Miami,” SFRTA Executive Director Jack Stephens said. “We have job and education opportunities up and down the corridor.”

The Miami-Dade County Commission’s Transit and Mobility Services Committee unanimously approved $13.9 million in funding for the project. The item is expected to go before the full commission on June 30.

Stephens said he hopes to have all the funding in place by the end of June so AAF can proceed with construction of the Tri-Rail platform. However, he’s working with multiple government agencies for funding.

Modified Amtrak service will be provided between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pa., and Philadelphia, and New York City and Boston. Amtrak trains will not be running between New York and Philadelphia, but New Jersey Transit will honor Amtrak tickets between New York City and Trenton, N.J., Amtrak announced.

About 238 passengers and five crew members were on board Amtrak Train 188 when it derailed on…

Like this:

During a visit to the Alstom Transport plant in Hornell, N.Y., U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer last week urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to approve Amtrak’s efforts to buy new Acela trains.

The $3 billion train project could improve rail safety, Amtrak service and boost the local economy in cities such as Hornell, where Alstom manufactures and services trains at its plant, Schumer said in a press release.

Amtrak is seeking federal approval to purchase the new high-speed trains for the Acela service along the Northeast Corridor. Schumer noted that the Acela service is at a “critical stage” because the leases on its current trains, which were acquired in 1994, are set to expire in the next six to eight years. As a result, Amtrak needs to advance production of its next generation trains, he said.

The need for better trains along the NEC is needed now more than ever, Schumer said. In fiscal-year 2014, there were 28 days in which Acela service exceeded 14,000 passengers, compared with five days in FY2013. This comes as the NEC generated nearly $500 million in profit last year, the highest ever, he added.

Chuck Shumer, NY Senator

“Allowing Amtrak to purchase new Acela trains would be a huge step forward in improving rail safety and service in the Northeast. This could have the potential to create good-paying, middle-class jobs for Upstate New Yorkers at companies like Alstom, Transit Air and Vapor Stone Rail,” said Schumer.

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Recent Posts from Penney Vanderbilt: PenneyVanderbilt

Originally posted on PenneyVanderbilt: pgatour.com Ken Venturi interview with Ben Hogan 1983 Multiple courses lay claim to the title of “Hogan’s Alley,” but few can rival the role that Colonial Country Club played in the legend’s career. Not only did Hogan win five times at Colonial, which will host this week’s Fort Worth Invitational, but…

pgatour.com Ken Venturi interview with Ben Hogan 1983 Multiple courses lay claim to the title of “Hogan’s Alley,” but few can rival the role that Colonial Country Club played in the legend’s career. Not only did Hogan win five times at Colonial, which will host this week’s Fort Worth Invitational, but the course’s founder, Marvin […]

Originally posted on Penney Vanderbilt and KC Jones: All About Railroads: AM New York The MTA board will vote on a proposed pilot program Wednesday that would dramatically reduce LIRR ticket prices for 10 stations in Brooklyn and Queens, including Atlantic Terminal. Photo Credit: The MTA board will vote on a proposed pilot program Wednesday…

Originally posted on Penney Vanderbilt and KC Jones: All About Railroads: patch.com ? The MTA plans to run 16 additional trains around the weekday rush hours starting in November. NEW YORK, NY — The MTA plans to run 16 extra trains on four subway lines starting this fall to reduce wait times and crowding. The…

Originally posted on thekitchensgarden: After being rained on the day we were to bale and then all the next night, yesterday evening we finally got the hay baled and under cover. About one hundred bales are pretty good – a little wetter than they should be …… but I have stored them in the loft…

Originally posted on Perspectives on Life, the Universe and Everything: when the pen of a poor poet or a singer singing on the road create flowers with the most amazing smell the most beautiful colour fruits and berries melting in the mouth soothing all senses past, present, all tenses in a random unthought verse unseen…

Originally posted on Penney Vanderbilt and KC Jones: All About Railroads: In a word: history by JOSH FRUHLINGER Village Voice The New York City Subway is the lifeblood of the city, yet it seems perpetually embroiled in crisis; though it’s currently caught in a terrible backlog of deferred maintenance, the city can’t function without it, as…